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SA Android for Apple trade-in not confirmed

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 20 Mar 2015
Apple could soon allow BlackBerry and Android users to trade-in for an iPhone.
Apple could soon allow BlackBerry and Android users to trade-in for an iPhone.

Apple will reportedly soon introduce a trade-in programme that will accept non-Apple smartphones in exchange for gift cards to be used toward the purchase of new iPhones. This is according to technology Web site 9to5Mac.

However, Tanya Kovarsky, spokesperson for Core Group, official Apple distributor in SA, says: "Unfortunately, I can't confirm the iStore will be accepting Android devices for trade-in; we cannot comment on speculations or rumour at this point."

The only trade-ins available in SA at the moment are for Apple products only.

According to 9to5Mac's unnamed sources, the trade-in programme will start within the next few weeks, to coincide with the launch of Apple Watch. There has been no launch date set yet for Apple Watch in SA.

The trade-in will work similarly to the iPhone Reuse and Recycle trade-in programme launched in mid-2013 to encourage iPhone users to upgrade to newer versions. iStore employees had to determine values of the trade-ins depending on the device's condition.

Earlier this month, research firm Gartner reported Apple sold the most number of smartphones globally in the fourth quarter last year. The big-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus drove sales, with 74 832 smartphones sold to end-users worldwide.

Rival Samsung has been losing market share to Apple, according to IDC. Apple has been the number two vendor for 11 quarters in a row, but its larger models have seen it take market share away from Samsung, says the research house.

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